Boy, I had no idea Eliza was raised Mormon. Huh. Did some Googling and it turns out her mom, who I'd always known was an academic, is also a well-known "feminist Mormon" who had a famous (in the church) falling out with Mitt Romney over his counseling a woman to carry a pregnancy to term despite warnings from doctors that it would probably cost her her life. Apparently Mitt Romney stays in touch with Eliza. Ain't life weird?

Is that definitely a typo? Googling "buddha pizza" turns up quite a few hits--including places that call their vegetarian pizza by that name (understandably). Maybe that "gouda pizza" thing was the typo?

Wow, great find, edcsLover9! I had read/heard Eliza speak out about being a bit of a partier, but I didn't know she went through a 12-step program. Very interesting.

I, however, thought the most interesting thing about the interview was this bit at the end:

"I'm terrible at cooking. I'm not a good woman in some ways. I don't really know how to take care of a household."

As someone who has called herself a feminist in the past, who was raised by a feminist mother, who idolizes proclaimed feminist Joss Whedon, that whole dialogue left a sour taste in my mouth. She seems to be implying that she thinks what makes a good woman is her skills in the kitchen, in the home? In this day and age?

kasadilla, I think she may have just been playing off of what society usually looks at what a "good woman" should be, not what she thinks a "good woman" should be. I can definitely understand how that left a sour taste in your mouth though.

As for the article as a whole, I didn't get the impression that she was an alcoholic, I just got the impression that she probably liked to go out and party often. I know there is a fine line between those two things but in the interview she made it seem like it wasn't a huge problem, she just feels a lot better now that she doesn't drink. I could definitely be wrong though.

Oh, and I love the line about the "big scary G word". Funny and revealing all at the same time. I definitely have way more respect for her after reading this.

I knew about Eliza being raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints/LDS Church (I personally don't like the moniker 'Mormon' because it can be and has been used very negatively in the past), but it's interesting to find out that she's sort of started going back to the values that she was raised with.

Vis a vis her 'good woman' comment, she was raised LDS, and so I think that has more to do with this perception amongst some in the LDS community of what a woman's role ultimately is in this life, and a recognition that she hasn't really lived up to those ideals. It is both a testament, IMO, to how grounded she is as a person and a sad comment on how stifling some aspects of the LDS faith and belief system can seem at times.

That's definitely an interesting perspective, DigificWriter. I hadn't thought about that comment from an LDS point of view. I grew up with a few LDS families, and while individually they were very liberal, the church certainly stifled some of these views.

kasadilla, yeah I'm with you. That's definitely the comment that stuck out for me. However, I do think there are other possible ways of interpreting it.

For instance, when I think of myself, I do not generally define myself in my head as a generic "person." My gender definitely is always there as a matter of course. It is just possible that if she were a man she could have said the same thing but then said: "I'm not a good man in some ways."

I probably would have used the term "adult" instead, indicating the state of being self-sufficient and being capable of taking care of myself and others. (Or in this case a lack there of. : ) )

Of course, we do pick up our ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman from our closest caretakers. She sounds like she was really close to her grandmother who was bound to be a traditional woman. It's hard to run against those imprints and not have them making little judging noises in sotto voce.

And to be fair, even if cooking and housekeeping ARE on her personal list of "How to be a Good Woman"... we don't know what else is on there. It could also include things like: How to Change a Tire and How to Manage Your Personal Finances.

None of this of course even addresses the fact that we also don't know HOW she said it. Bare bones text sure leaves a lot to be desired.

Good for Eliza for giving up alcohol. I'm always inspired by people who make a commitment to stop using - whether it be alcohol or drugs or another destructive behavior. Makes me like her a lot more, makes me want Dollhouse to live on and succeed even more!

kasadilla BreathesStory; She, in her defense, did say "in some ways." That's actually a reasonable way to look at one's shortcomings

I get frustrated when I hear about people ahving a problem handlign a chemical, it seems to be all over the place, but I also am glad she's dealing with it and doing so before it caused any specific problems. My problems aren't substance-linked or gambling but I still haven't even found the handles let alone grabbed 'em.Go ED!

Taaroko: I know you were joking but I think (I don't know at all) Eliza's grandparents were fairly recent converts, maybe both joined as adults. Her mother is regarded as ethnically Danish and I'd imagine that probably wouldn't be the case if they'd been members for generations.

It appears to be Gouda, if Maxim is to be believed:
I knew that if I went back to TV, I absolutely wanted it to be with him, so I invited him to lunch. He picked this fancy-schmancy restaurant, and we threw around ideas. Four hours later he came out of the bathroom and said, “The show’s going to be called Dollhouse.” That Gouda pizza I bought him was the best investment I ever made.